UK Department of Agriculture recognises Hungary’s freedom from foot-and-mouth disease

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The London-based ministry recalled that it had recently declared Germany free from FMD, and from Wednesday the ministry has also reclassified Hungary as a disease-free country. This means that exports of affected products to the UK from these countries are once again possible, provided that all other import conditions are met and the veterinary export certificates required for export can be verified, the British ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. According to DEFRA, the exemption also applies to Austria, to which the British ministry previously also imposed import restrictions after cases of foot-and-mouth disease were reported from near the Austrian border in Hungary.

The British Ministry of Agriculture announced that it would withdraw the trade measures taken against Hungary with effect from Thursday

As a prelude to the British exemption announced on Wednesday, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) also restored Hungary’s official FMD-free status with effect from September 10. At the same time, the British ministry stressed in its statement on Wednesday that the import ban on certain meat and other food products imposed on individual travellers from the European Union and several other regions at the end of June remains in force until it is lifted. Individual travellers are not allowed to bring into Great Britain, among other things, fresh meat, meat products, milk and dairy products.

MTI